Ready, Steady, Go
by Quirky Koala
Summary: Second of the Jane Doe Series. Lindsay's science project brings Sara and Catherine closer.


Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing them.

Warning: Contains the portrayal of a loving relationship between two women, if this offends you or is illegal where you live please don't read any further.

A/N: The story has not been beta'd so any spelling or grammar mistakes are mine, so are any British-isms.

A/N2: This is part two of a series starting with Sex, Drugs and Crime Scene Investigating. I'm really bad at thinking of story names, and after discussions with friends and still failing to come up with a name for the series I've decided on, the Jane Doe Series, it was either that or untitled and if CSI can name their unnamed bodies Jane Doe then I can name my untitled series that….On a serious note if anyone can think of a name for the series I'd like to hear it.

A/N3: Thank you all for the feedback. This part gets pretty steamy and I'm really nervous as it's the first sex scene I've ever written so any feedback: good or bad, would be greatly appreciated.

Title: Ready, Steady, Go.

The week following Catherine's offer of Sex to Sara, the friendship developing between the two women cooled. They didn't argue or make bitchy comments like they used to but they were overly polite to the point that the guys started to make comments on it. Sara put the cooling down to her revelation and the fact that she'd rejected Catherine, something she now regretted.

Sara's confession to Catherine had been true, she didn't do one night stands, but she couldn't get the picture of the ruffled, but absolutely stunning, Catherine out of her head. It seemed every time she closed her eyes and every time she was aroused she saw the picture of Catherine with kiss-swollen lips, breathing heavily and looking at her with a mixture of lust and confusion. It was the last thing she'd seen as she had walked out the door and she now really wished she hadn't looked back; either that or she had finished what Catherine had started.

Catherine however put the cooling in their relationship down the Sara taking offence at the offer of the 'thank you fuck' as she put it. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Sara had wanted to keep a tape of her having sex with some nameless woman and had admitted she was attracted to her, why would she keep a tape if she hadn't wanted to sleep with her? In Catherine's past jobs if someone put as much at risk as Sara had to get the tape back it was because they wanted you.

Catherine hadn't thought twice about it, she was bi-sexual, had a high sex drive and had to admit that she admired Sara's toned body and self-control. She'd often wanted the power of feeling the brunette's body writher under her as she broke. But now it seemed that she'd screwed that up, Sara didn't want a one-night stand and had been offended when she'd offered it.

The brunette, for her part, had been so close to raising the subject a number of times but had always lost her nerve, she didn't take rejection well and was sure Catherine would tell her there could never be anything between them.

It turned out that it was Catherine that raised the subject. Sara knew that the 4th of July was approaching fast and that meant one thing. The BBQ; hosted by Catherine at her house, the entire night and swing shift were all invited and expected to attend. It was one of only two nights a year in which there was an unspoken agreement that they would all get together - even Grissom.

On the 2nd of July when Catherine still hadn't received a reply from Sara she set up a confrontation she knew would have Sara accepting the invitation. Catherine was talking to Warrick before shift as they entered the break room for assignments. She spotted Sara in the corner by the coffee machine.

"Sara you haven't RSVP'd, are you coming to the BBQ?" Catherine said turning to Sara as she finished talking to Warrick.

"Erm...I don't think so." Sara replied nervously. Catherine felt guilty for a moment, she had engineered this because she knew that Sara would probably say no when she asked, she also knew that Nick and Warrick wouldn't accept that answer.

"What? You have to come!" Nick chimed in, as Catherine knew someone would.

"Yeah, what else have you got to do? Listen to the police scanner?" Warrick said getting a blush from Sara.

"I don't know guys, I'm not a party person, you know that."

"Who said anything about a party? It's a BBQ, Lindsay will be there so it's not going to be wild and it's not even going to last into the night as some of us have to work...Please, if you don't come you'll be the only one of the night shift not there." Catherine pleaded, she knew it was low but at that point she had no shame, she would do whatever it took.

"Fine, but don't complain if I mooch in the corner all day spoiling the party mood."

"Don't worry I'll put Greg and Lindsay on 'anti-mooching duty'." Catherine said smiling at Sara groan. "In fact I'll get Greg to pick you up - just to guarantee you come."

"Please no! The only reason I don't class him as a stalker is because he doesn't know where I live so he can't sit outside my house watching me." Sara said, getting some scoffs from the people she had forgotten were still in the room.

"Fine Warrick can pick you up."

"Fine by me!" Warrick agreed.

"Fine," Sara conceded, accepting her fate with a heavy sigh.

The night of the BBQ came and true to his word Warrick came to pick Sara up. She reluctantly arrived with a 12 pack of beer and a bottle of white wine. Catherine ginned as she saw Sara and Warrick approaching, Sara had chosen to wear a pair of tight jeans and a white vest that clung to her body. It was casual but Sara wore them well and the blonde saw that she wasn't the only one casting a lustful glance Sara's way.

"Catherine, you look great." Sara said with false cheer as she kissed the other woman's cheek.

"So do you." She replied.

Unlike Sara, Catherine was in a short summer dress, the light material accentuated her curves and she had worn it because she knew she looked good. Unlike Sara who had probably only worn the clothes she was comfortable in.

"Right," She replied cynically. "I brought alcohol."

Sara was on her third beer, Catherine had noted. The brunette had situated herself far enough away from Nick and Warrick's group so she wouldn't be pulled into a conversation but close enough so that she wouldn't look like she was sat on her own and invite people to talk to her. She had been on her own since Greg and Lindsay had disappeared into the house.

Catherine was about to go over and tell her how Lindsay and Greg had failed on their anti mooching mission when Lindsay ran out of the house and straight up to Sara. After what looked like an animated conversation Sara followed Lindsay into the house.

Catherine had intended to find out what her daughter was doing with her guests but playing a good host hadn't allowed her to as someone always seemed to get in her way when she tried to enter the house. It was over an hour later when she noticed Greg had returned but looking around she couldn't see Lindsay or Sara. Picking up a fresh beer she made her way over to the youngest CSI.

"I was worried my daughter was kidnapping my guests, you've been gone so long." Catherine joked.

"Lindsay was showing me her plans for a go-kart. She asked for help with the engine but I told her I didn't know much about engines as that's Sara speciality." Greg explained.

Catherine rolled her eyes as she remembered the project. The latest in a long line of school science projects that Lindsay loved to compete in, this year it was to build a go-kart. The teacher was then setting up a number of tasks that would put the kart through its paces and decide the winning kart. Lindsay was determined to beat her nemesis Kelly Miller, the two girls had a running battle and each year they had to beat each other in the science project. The young girl had even gone as far as to acquire an old lawnmower engine from a neighbour.

Sighing Catherine set off to rescue Sara from her daughter. She got to the door of the garage before stopping to watch the sight before her. Sara and Lindsay were sat in the middle of the garage crossed legged with the dismantled engine before them. They both had oil all over their hands and Sara had a smear over her forehead.

"Nope, this motor is shot, we can't fix it. The rest of the engine looks good though." Sara told the girl.

"Yeah, but it's not much good without a motor, you said the motor powers the entire engine." Lindsay pouted.

"True, but I know somewhere that's a goldmine for go-kart parts." Sara said smiling.

"Where?" Lindsay asked excited.

"The tip, there are tonnes of old lawnmowers, even if we can't salvage an entire engine we'll be able to get parts and we might even be able to find a more powerful motor, and that will make you go faster." Sara said watching the girls face light up. She was so like her mother!

"Cool, can we go now?" Lindsay asked eagerly.

"No, you can't and you can stop stealing my guests. Sara is meant to be at the BBQ not working on your school project." Catherine said revealing herself to the two workers.

"Oh, but mom. Sara really good at all this, I'll win for sure with her help." Lindsay whined.

"How about I come over tomorrow and we look for an engine then?...that's if it's OK with your mom." Sara said her confidence going in the last part of the sentence; she hadn't exactly been getting on with the blonde lately.

"Fine, you can work on the go-kart tomorrow but at the moment you are both meant to be attending a BBQ not hiding out in the garage." Catherine chastised.

Lindsay jumped up and made her way over to her mother. "Y'know, Sara is so cool. She laughed at my prime numbers joke. She's the only one that's laughed at that!"

Catherine rolled her eyes at her daughters retreating back and looked at Sara who had lowered her head bashfully. "I don't know how she became such a geek. The science I can understand, as I always liked science, but Math's? I'm rubbish at math's and I know she didn't get it from Eddie, the man could hardly add up..."

"She's a great kid, you've done really well with her." Sara was rewarded with a full beam Willow's smile that made her breath catch.

The women entered the house together to see Lindsay just about to stick her oil-covered hand in the nibbles dish. At the shout from her mother Lindsay seemed to notice for the first time that her hands were dirty and the stern look on her mothers face made her head straight for the bathroom. Noticing the look turned her way Sara trailed silently after the girl.

At 10 am the next day Sara made her way to Catherine's door. The door was yanked open even before she knocked and Catherine stood there not looking pleased. Sara looked around nervously not sure if she should run or be brave and try and talk her way out of whatever she had done wrong. Not socially good, especially at confrontations, she had decided on the first option when the older woman spoke.

"I hate you!" Catherine said still glaring. She stopped Sara from bolting by grabbing the front of her shirt and pulling her through the door and shutting it behind her. "My daughter has been bouncing off the walls since 8 o'clock this morning. Do you know hard it is to control a hyper 12 year old? I'm tired just watching her, and she has only opened her mouth to tell me how great you are, or to share an idea she's had about this go-kart."

Catherine was rewarded for the rant by a genuine gap-toothed Sara Sidle smile.

"I can leave if you want. I wouldn't want to encourage that kind of behaviour." Sara joked.

"Don't you dare! Go in there and rescue my daughter from that hyper-active bundle that only wears her face." Catherine notices the grin on Sara's face and groaned as she recognized the same excited smile that Lindsay has been wearing all morning.

They are saved from further comment as Lindsay rushed out of the front room, grabbed Sara's arm and dragged her into the room talking a mile a minute about her ideas.

Catherine leaned against the door watching the interaction between her colleague and her daughter. Her eyebrows rose as she saw Sara patiently listening to the girl, processing the information, adding encouragements or her own thoughts to the ideas; even the ones that seemed completely ridiculous Sara listened intently before giving a gentle let down.

Catherine found herself thinking about the last time Lindsay'd had a school project and the person who had helped her. Eddie didn't like spending so much time on something that wasn't making him money, even if it was something important to his own daughter. He had rushed through the project, shooting down his daughters' ideas or mocking them in favour of his own as they were easier. If he had known how important the projects were to his daughter he hadn't cared and had hurt Lindsay to the point where Catherine had told him not to bother. Unfortunately she knew it was a project she had no knowledge on, she had ended up asking her sisters husband to help, which he had done willingly, but Catherine had seen Lindsay's frustration when he had treated her like a child with no idea of what she was doing.

Sara was not doing either. She was treating Lindsay as someone who had genuine and good ideas and encouraging her to share her thoughts no matter how fantastic they may be.

Eventually Lindsay ran out of things to say, giving Sara the opportunity to share her news.

"I have found the perfect, working engine, and we can pick it up now." The brunette said beaming.

Jumping up immediately Lindsay ran out of the room, scrambling to get her shoes on and get back as quickly as possible. Once she was ready she almost pulled Sara out of the room, hardly giving her a chance to ask Catherine if she wanted to come. Catherine declined preferring some quiet time as she hadn't had any peace all day thanks to the hyper Lindsay.

It was an hour later when she saw Sara's Tahoe pull up and them make their way to the garage. Sara was carrying a huge toolbox and wearing a tool belt while Lindsay was driving a motorised wheelchair.

"Look what Sara got mom." Lindsay said waving excitedly when she saw her mother. "It'll be perfect, the motor is way more powerful than the one in a lawnmower engine, and it'll go way faster. Apparently it goes up to 40 miles per hour." Lindsay rambled as Catherine made her way over to the pair looking astonished.

"Where did you get that?"

"One of my neighbours. I heard them complaining about the price of the new wheelchair they'd just bought their mother, they said they'd had to buy it as the one she had was in a terrible state. They were surprised when I offered to buy it, kept telling me it was in no fit state to use because all the padding had worn out and the arm rests were loose...actually I probably could have got it a lot cheaper." Sara said complatatively.

"Don't worry about that, I'll pay you back for anything you need to buy..." Catherine started.

"No way." Sara cut in looking shocked. "I'd probably spend all the money on some pet project anyway, the only difference is that this time I get a minion to do all the hard work." Sara grinned cheekily.

"You class my daughter as a minion? I knew you had a ulterior motive, you want a group of pre-teens to worship you and hang off your every word!" Catherine joked enjoying the banter.

"You've discovered my evil plan to build an army of admiring science geek children and use them to take over the world. Your daughter is the prototype, now if my plan is to succeed I'll have to kill you." Sara said dropping the tool-kit and edging towards Catherine menacingly.

"Hey, I didn't say I was against it...if my daughter is the prototype then when you get world domination she will be what - the second in command? That means I will be looked after very well...plus I can blackmail you on your way to the top." Catherine said grinning evilly as Sara laughed out loud.

"I'll keep you in a life of luxury." Sara promised.

"Your minion awaits." Catherine joked.

Catherine had been cleaning the house for two hours; she hadn't seen any sign of Lindsay or Sara, although she had heard the occasional clang from the garage. Realising that she hadn't offered them any kind of refreshments she started the coffee maker, knowing that Sara was well overdue her caffeine fix. Armed with water, coffee and soda she made her way to the garage.

Catherine smiled when she saw two heads disappearing into the seat frame of the now dismantled wheelchair, in the two hours they had managed to take the chair apart. The wheels were now lying on the floor, the back was lying beside the chair, alongside the seat pad. She listened to what sounded like Sara coaching Lindsay in how to unscrew something. Again Catherine found herself wondering why Sara was letting Lindsay do these tasks, most adults would make the children watch as they took the engine apart, it was quicker and it avoided any accidents. But it appeared that Sara was teaching the girl how to take the engine apart and letting her actually do it.

"Got it!" Lindsay said triumphantly as she dropped something to the floor. Sara and Lindsay smiling faces appeared from inside the seat frame and Catherine decided it was time to announce her presence.

"Are the workers thirsty?" She asked entering with the tray.

Both workers nodded enthusiastically and Lindsay ran up to her mother.

"I took the engine out, did you see it mom? Sara showed me how to take it out and she let me do it." Lindsay said.

"Yeah I saw it baby." Catherine said running her hands through her daughters hair.

She smiled at Sara who was making her way over to the pair at a more sedate pace. Catherine noticed for the first time that they were both wearing overalls and even though Lindsay's were rolled up repeatedly they were still too big for her.

"I thought you were overdue your caffeine fix." Catherine said handing Sara a strong cup of coffee. "So where did you get the overalls?"

"Sara," Lindsay answered immediately. "She said you'd be really angry at her if I got oil on my clothes and she doesn't like it when you are angry with her."

"Snitch." Sara muttered, suddenly finding the coffee cup interesting as Catherine looked at her.

"So how's it going?" Catherine asked knowing that the brunette was feeling uncomfortable.

"Great! We're removing the engine now, then Sara says we can go to the tip and see if we can find wheels and something to use as a body, because we won't know how big we need to make the body until we know how big the engine is." Lindsay informed her mother all in one breath.

"Think you can wait until after lunch? I was thinking of starting something now." Nodding again Lindsay jumped back up and went back to studying the wheelchair.

"I'll get going then. Do you have any plans this afternoon or am I OK to take Lindsay to the tip?" Sara asked.

Catherine hadn't registered anything after Sara said she was leaving. "What? Erm...have you planned something for lunch?"

"Well, no..." Sara stammered surprised at the question.

"So why are you leaving?"

"I thought..." Sara looked bewildered. "Well, I thought you'd want to have lunch alone with Lindsay."

"Sara, you've spent the entire morning of you're day off with my daughter working your butt off on her science project because I don't have the first clue about engines. The least I can do is feed you."

"Are you sure?"

"I'd be insulted if you left now." Catherine said knowing Sara wouldn't be able to turn her down after that line. "You still a veggie?"

"Yeah, I think it'll take a while to get over Grissom's experiment." Sara said bashfully.

"How long before you finished here?"

"With the progress Lindsay's making we should have the engine removed within the hour."

"No problem, when you've finished make your way inside, I'll see what I can rustle up."

Catherine looked at Sara gratefully when, on entering the house, she ushered the girl straight towards the bathroom to get cleaned up. After they had washed up Lindsay ran into the front room shouting something about the mummy being on while Sara made her way into the kitchen. She stood in the doorway for a moment just taking in the scene, it was so domestic and she liked the feeling. Helping Lindsay with her project while Catherine made them lunch; being able to just stand there and watch the blonde cooking, she could almost pretend she belonged here.

"Do you need a hand?" She asked knowing if she stood there any longer she was bound to be caught and it could be embarrassing if she had to explain why she was stood in the doorway staring at Catherine.

"You could lay the table if you wanted. The cutlery is in the drawer next to the fridge."

"No problem. So do you have anything planned for this afternoon? I'm not monopolising Lindsay's time am I?" Sara asks, not wanting to tread on any toes.

"No, I'm actually enjoying some time out. Don't get me wrong I love my daughter, it's just not often I can do things without worrying what she's up to and she really needs help with the project, help that I can't give her." Catherine replied.

"Nobody's perfect. You've given her everything else in her life, if a school science project is the only thing you can't help her with then you are a hundred percent better than most of the mothers I know." Sara said thinking she heard a self-deprecating tone in the other woman's voice.

Smiling Catherine looked up at Sara. "I just want to give my little girl everything."

"I know but if there is one thing I've never doubted about you Cath, it's that you are a great mother. You may not be able to teach Lindsay how to dismantle an engine but there are so many more important things and you have given her every one of those."

"You are really good for my ego, you know that?"

"Anytime."

They talked about trivial things all through lunch, work, school, the weather, basketball and many other subjects that Sara didn't remember later. It had been a while since she had sat down to a meal with company and at first she was a little nervous, she didn't know whether she'd have anything to say, but she was soon put at ease.

Sara spent most of the meal watching the interaction between Lindsay and Catherine, they bickered and teased each other but it was obvious mother and daughter loved each other. It was something Sara never had, she'd spent most of her childhood hiding from her parents therefore they had never ate a meal together. This was domestic and intimate and Sara was quickly coming to see that it was something she craved.

The day ended all to quickly, for Sara. After lunch she took Lindsay to the tip and ended up coming back with so much junk Catherine had asked them if there was still any scrap metal left at the tip. Sara had suggested that they ask the rest of the guys to come over and help with welding the body together to save time and Catherine had then asked Sara to stay for dinner as well.

It was the best food Sara had tasted in years; being single her diet consisted of microwave meals, which of course Catherine had teased her about when she had commented on the good food. It had been a busy day for Lindsay and it showed when she fell asleep on the couch watching TV. Catherine had picked the little girl up and with Sara's help they had managed to get her to bed, she had woken up briefly as her mother was tucking her in and asked where Sara was. The brunette had been slightly surprised, she was only in the room because she had been opening doors so neither Willow's women got injured.

"Night Sara. I had a great day, will you come back and help me finish the Kart?" She mumbled as Sara stepped forward.

"Of course, you're stuck with me for the duration now." Sara said grinning, she was about to move into the back of the room again when she saw Lindsay frowning up at her and Catherine also staring at her from her position sat on the girls bed. It became clear what they were waiting for when Lindsay held her arms out for a hug. It was a slightly awkward hug but neither of the Willow's women said anything, as Sara pulled away and shuffled back trying to melt into the dark of the room as Catherine gave her daughter a hug and a kiss.

Both women made there way downstairs, Sara sat on the couch as Catherine poured some wine. It didn't take an investigator to see that Sara was fidgeting uncomfortably, she seemed to be fine when Lindsay was with them but when they were left alone a tense silence seemed to settle. Deciding it was time to breech the barrier Catherine spoke up.

"Thank you."

"What for?" Sara frowned as she took a gulp of the wine for courage.

"For helping Lindsay, it's the first time in ages she's seemed really happy and enthusiastic about something."

"Probably because she's so sure she's 'gonna kick Kelly Miller's ass'." Sara said grinning as she repeated what Lindsay had told her repeatedly that day.

"No it's because you're helping her. I've watched you with her, you treat her like an adult, you don't put her down, no matter how far fetched her ideas are. You've been teaching her things no matter how patient you've needed to be. Everybody who says that you're not good with children has never seen you with one." Catherine said making Sara squirm with the complements.

"It's not hard with Lindsay." Sara mumbles, not meeting the other woman's eyes. "She's a great kid and she's really intelligent. She reminds me of me, you know with the love for science and maths and all."

"If she turns out like you then I'll be pleased..."

"You'll be pleased with an anti-social misfit who is a workaholic?" Sara asks grinning ruefully.

"You are not an anti-social misfit! A workaholic maybe, but that can be worked on." Catherine says reaching out to take Sara's hand. She stopped when the brunette tensed. "Look Sara, I know things have been tense between us for a while. I just wanted to say sorry for my part in that. I should have known you weren't helping me for your own good and I shouldn't have offered you sex as a thank you - it was what my old employers would have wanted for helping me out, but judging you like them was wrong...I didn't mean to offend you." Catherine offered.

"Catherine, I wasn't offended by your offer, hell I spent the rest of the night thinking I was crazy for turning you down...I thought that I'd offended you or made you uncomfortable by telling you I was attracted to you." Sara looked up at Catherine's bark of laughter.

"I manage to attract the woman most of the office drools over and you think it offends me? I wasn't offended I was flattered!"

"Yeah, right." Sara snorted thinking the blonde was teasing her.

"You've never noticed the way the lab grinds to a halt when you walk past? Or the way you always manage to get your evidence back faster then the rest of the team?" Catherine asked not believing that she could be that blind.

"I don't..."

"You do! Watch for it next time, Nick always jokes that he drops your name when he hands his evidence to the lab-techs for processing, and it's a running joke that Grissom curses the fact that there are so many glass walls in the building."

"If they are all so hot for me then why haven't I been asked out by any of them?" Sara asked thinking it was a good argument.

"Because they are a bunch of lab geeks that have never had sex. In all your anti-social glory you haven't got a patch on most of those lab rats." Catherine said laughing.

Sara didn't like this conversation, Catherine was good at arguing, Sara had a sneaking suspicion that the other woman must have been in the debate team at school and if Catherine was then Sara had no chance of winning this argument. She had avoided that team like the plague, as you actually had to talk if you joined it...and worse, you had to talk in public; in front of a group of people, the thought terrified her.

"So can we go back to the way things were?" Sara asked changing the subject.

"Well, maybe not the way things were because then I'd have to go back to being a complete bitch to you and I was hoping we could try and be friends...you know, as you're going to be over here quite a bit while the science project is on." Catherine was pleased when she was rewarded with a special gap toothed Sara grin.

For the next month Sara spent all her days off at Catherine's house, on the last weekend the guys all joined them, all sporting blow torches and paint and before they knew it they had a wheelchair motored, aerodynamic go-kart in the shape of a space shuttle.

Catherine and Sara now stood at the side of the garage while Lindsay showed all her school friends the go-kart with the biggest smile Sara had ever seen. It got even bigger when they all started telling the girl that she was bound to win.

"I've got to admit, I'm impressed. You've managed to turn lots of scrap metal into to an impressive - and more important - working go-kart." Catherine said.

"Oh, yee of little faith." Sara said watching Lindsay's friend's leave in low spirits. "In celebration for finishing, I'm gonna take my two favourite ladies out. Where do you wanna go?"

"Pizza!" Lindsay shouts running over to them after carefully replacing the tarp over the kart.

"What about a movie? I want to see the new Harry Potter film." Catherine said looking offended when Sara raised her eyebrows and smirked. "What?"

"Harry Potter?" The younger CSI grinned.

"Don't insult Harry Potter, they are good movies!" Catherine defended.

"OK, as Harry Potter's a PG we can take Lindsay, so we could go for Pizza and then to the movie...on one condition."

"What?" Lindsay asked eagerly.

"We get ice cream as well." Sara said keeping her face blank, it was the blondes turn to raise her eyebrows and grin. "What? You have a weak spot for Harry Potter and I have a weak spot for ice cream, sue me."

"Fine." Catherine said raising her hands in surrender. "Pizza...and ice cream. Then to the movies to see Harry Potter."

"Sounds like a plan." Sara agreed.

They arrived back four hours later, the night had been a resounding success and Sara found that she had really enjoyed it...even Harry Potter. Lindsay had even talked her into reading the books and now they were back at the house Lindsay had put the first movie in and dragged Sara onto the settee because 'she couldn't understand what was happening properly if she didn't see how it began'. Catherine of course had found it highly amusing.

They were only twenty minutes into the movie when Lindsay, finally coming down from her sugar high, fell asleep cuddled up to the brunette. Giving a smile that Sara knew meant that Catherine thought the scene was 'cute'; the blonde said she'd put Lindsay to bed.

Lindsay woke up long enough to stumble up the stairs and into her pyjamas. Catherine saw Sara looking around uncomfortably, like she usually did when they were in the same room together alone.

"Will, you stay here tonight so we can both have a drink?" Catherine asks, not even waiting for an answer, which looked like it might be in the negative by the way Sara was stammering, she poured wine into two glasses and offered one to Sara. "I wanted to do something to thank you for putting your life on hold to help my daughter."

"What life?" Sara joked, going on when Catherine didn't laugh with her. "I really enjoy spending time with her Cat."

"Lindsay will be so please if she beats Kelly next weekend, they have a long standing rivalry." Catherine grinned.

"Let's hope she does win. I wouldn't want to disappoint her."

"Sara, your her idol. You could never disappoint her, even if she came last she'd still worship you."

"Yeah, but I bet Warrick was her idol at one point and Nick, and Greg."

"Warrick was at one point, but never Nick or Greg…and it was only for a couple of days not over a month. It was when he had his gambling problem, I was trying to encourage him to seek help so he was coming around a lot. He kept 'treating' Lindsay to money if he'd had a big win. I didn't like it so I told him to stop..." Catherine trailed off looking at the floor.

After a couple of seconds she looked back up to see Sara frowning at her trying to make her mind up about something.

"What?" She asks wanting to know what has Sara in such deep though.

"I'd like to ask you something but I don't know whether you'd be insulted by it."

"Just ask."

"Have you ever slept with Warrick?"

"No!" Catherine laughed, making Sara let out the breath she'd been holding since she'd asked the question.

"Are you attracted to him?"

This got a longer pause, as Catherine seemed to be thinking of her answer. "Attracted to him - no. Have I ever thought about sex with him - yes. When I'm particularly horny." Sara looked shocked by this explanation so Catherine tried to explain herself better. "I have a high sex drive, when I was a stripper it wasn't a problem but now sometimes..."

"So offering me sex was a product of your high sex drive?" Sara asked trying not to sound as disappointed as she felt.

"No, it was more than that...even though I've thought about Warrick sexually I've never offered it to him..."

Both women felt the tension in the room rise as they held eye contact.

"If I'd changed my mind and was willing to accept a one night stand..."

Sara didn't get to finish the rest of the question as Catherine's mouth captured hers. It was a kiss of passion and need, which Sara returned in kind. Catherine took the lead and pushed Sara down until she was laying on the couch. Sara gasped as Catherine pushed her knee between her legs and the brunette felt a thigh rub against her centre. The blonde took this opportunity to let her tongue enter the other woman's mouth, running along her teeth before entering fully to tangle with the tongue she found there.

For a moment Sara was annoyed that she was on the bottom, she wanted to control this session, she wanted to be the one who brought Catherine pleasure. That was until Catherine pulled away from their kiss slightly and she realised that in this position she had unequivocal access to the other woman's body. She leaned forward to recapture Catherine's lips while bringing her hands into play as she lightly caressed the blondes' sides. She moved inwards, dragging her nails over the other woman's stomach and grinning when she felt the muscles jumping under the clothes. Wanting to feel skin on skin she dipped her fingers under the shirt. She heard Catherine moan as she scraped her nails over her stomach again, this time feeling the ripple of the muscles without any barrier.

Sara was vaguely aware of Catherine unbuttoning her top, but her attention was brought to it when Catherine broke off their kiss and started to tease the newly exposed skin with nips, licks and butterfly kisses. The blonde kissed down her neck, passed her collarbone and placed little nips on the top of her breasts. Then completely ignoring the area covered by the small bra, Catherine made her way down paying attention to the taut stomach as the muscles quivered.

Sara had her head thrown back as was breathing heavily as her body reacted to Catherine's attentions, none of Sara's previous lovers had spent lots of time on foreplay, preferring to reach climax as soon as possible, after all that was what sex was all about, right? Catherine was changing her mind on that, although she was going out of her mind and really wanted to be touched, Sara could feel her passion rising higher than she had thought possible. She felt Catherine's tongue flick into her belly button to tease her and unconsciously thrust down onto the thigh that was still situated between her legs. The second time the tongue entered her belly button Sara reached down and pulled Catherine up before she lost her mind.

Catherine leaned over Sara for a moment, she was grinning smugly at the look of passion and want in the younger woman's eyes. Eyes that were at least 4 shades darker than normal. Catherine would never be sure whether it was the smug grin or the fact that their skin was no longer touching, that Sara hadn't liked, but before she could move the other woman had reached up, taken two handfuls of her soon to be lover shirt and ripped it open.

Catherine gasped as button's flew in all directions and her head fell back as Sara angled her hips up and thrust forward causing friction at the juncture between her legs. She was left unable to do anything but grip convulsively onto the fabric of the couch as Sara's hands cupped her breasts rubbing her thumb along the taunt nipples through the material as she kept a rhythmic thrusting with her hips.

The brunette was just thinking about the quickest way to unhook a bra when she thought she heard the creak of a floorboard upstairs. Her eyes opened to look at the older woman only to find that she hadn't appeared to hear anything through her rapture. Sara's brain was working slowly behind the fog of arousal, but as her brain threw out possibilities Sara found herself sitting up in shock.

"Lindsay!" She gasped out, watching as the name registered with Catherine and her eyes flew open with terror searching the room finally coming to rest on Sara. "I think I heard her moving around upstairs." The brunette explained breathlessly.

They strained their ears listening for a sound and when none was forthcoming there eyes met again.

"Maybe it's not such a good idea to do this here." Sara whispered.

"Maybe not." Catherine replied, she looked at Sara for a minute in silence before kissing her lightly. "Come to my room."

Without waiting for an answer she stood up and walked off towards the stairs not even checking to see if the other woman was following her. Sara watched as she made no attempt to cover herself. Although with the state Sara had left her shirt in she couldn't really do anything but hold the two side of the shirt together. As she watched Catherine start to ascend the stairs she was sure she saw an extra swing in her hips. The younger CSI grinned at the thought that Catherine was trying to make her walk sexier in an attempt to lure her into bed. Not that she needed to but it was nice to know she was putting the effort in for her. Realising that Catherine was nearly at the top of the stairs Sara jumped up and rushed after her, she got the feeling that Catherine was a woman that wouldn't appreciate being kept waiting.

Sara barely made it through the door before it was slammed and she was pressed against it, the blonde body was moulded to hers, as a demanding kiss possessed her mouth. It seemed that the break had ignited Catherine's passion. Her hand rose to caress Sara's breasts before moving to try and push the shirt off her body, when the piece of cloth didn't fall immediately to the floor the brunette felt it pulled viciously as a grunt of frustration issued from the other woman. Not wanting the item damaged, not only because what she was wearing was the only clothing she had at Catherine's, Sara took her hands of the blonde's body and shrugged the shirt off, letting it fall to the floor.

Deciding to take Catherine's shirt off while clothes were being discarded, Sara took the front of the torn shirt and slipped it off the blondes' shoulders. It was more difficult to get the shirt off Catherine's arms though as she didn't seem willing to stop exploring Sara's newly exposed skin long enough to let the shirt fall to the floor. She unhooked Catherine's bra at the same time, sliding her hands around Catherine's side before cupping her breasts.

Sara turned, switching their positions so Catherine was now backed against the wall. Taking advantage of the situation Sara dropped her mouth to kiss the other woman's neck, nipping the pulse point lightly with her teeth and then soothing it with her tongue. She heard Catherine's head bang against the wall as she craned her neck to give Sara better access.

The brunette's body was vibrating atom by atom, making her feel like she would implode if she didn't feel pressure on her clit, using her advantage she thrust her hips forward. She was surprised when Catherine brought her legs up wrapping them around her waist. Luckily most of Catherine's weight seemed to be supported against the wall, otherwise Sara suspected they would have tumbled to the floor.

Thrusting their hips together Catherine brought their lips back together gasping as she felt Sara brush her thumb over her nipples before they were pinched between the thumb and a finger. Catherine's blood was boiling, she needed to touch and be touched. Reaching between them she unfastened her own trousers before taking one of Sara's hands off her breasts and pushing it into the now loose material. She gasped and thrusts forward when the brunette took the hint and ran her fingers over the material of Catherine's panties.

Sara could feel Catherine's wetness through the material of her panties, she was enjoying the hitch in the blonde's breath every time her finger ran over the hard bundle of nerves. She knew the other woman was close but she wasn't going to let this end yet, she dragged her nail over the clit and her knees almost buckled as she heard the other woman whimper.

Sara pulled her lips away from Catherine's and withdrew her hands, she leaned into to her lover and rested her forehead against the wall in an attempt to get some control. The wall felt cool against her overheated skin and she managed to pull some much-needed oxygen into her lungs.

"Please." Catherine begged.

Sara made the mistake of looking at Catherine when she heard her gasped plea. She knew she was lost as soon as she saw the fire in the blue eyes she had come to crave.

"Bed." Sara gasped.

She would never know how she managed to take the four steps to get to the bed without depositing them both in an untidy pile on the floor. But they made it an she even managed to put Catherine's down carefully on the bed before stripping her quickly of her remaining clothes, she stopped briefly to strip herself before joining the older woman on the bed.

Catherine tried to spin them as soon as Sara climbed on the bed but was defeated when Sara pushed her back on the bed and straddled her waist. This could be her one time with Catherine and she wanted to make it one that the blonde would always remember. She wanted the other woman to zone out and shiver whenever she thought about it.

Sara leant forward placing a light kiss on Catherine's lips before leaning further; she licked the shell of her ear before taking it between her teeth.

"I'm going to make you scream with pleasure." She promised once she'd released the ear.

Catherine briefly saw a cocky smile before her breath was taken away with another bone melting kiss. As they kissed the blonde felt hands stroking and caressing paths across her skin, seemingly not having any destination in mind but making sure they fired every nerve ending on their trip. If she found a particularly sensitive spot that made Catherine's breath hitch or a groan she would retrace the path with a slight smile.

Sara did nothing but kiss and caress Catherine for what seemed like days, she had Catherine groaning and squirming with arousal and as Catherine felt Sara's hand drawing small circles down the outside of her thigh and then slip around to her inner thigh she whimpered in pleasure. She shivered and Sara slowly drew her nails up the inside of her leg, getting closer and closer to her centre.

It was a groan of protest that Catherine eventually let out though as she hands stopped mere inches from the blonde's slit before disappearing up her stomach. It was soon followed by another groan as the two hands cupped Catherine's prefect breast and started to tease. Flicking an experimental thumb across Sara's nipple, Catherine felt the other woman's stomach muscles contract and a gasp disrupted the assault on her lips, she smiled in triumph. A tortured moan escaped the blonde's lips as Sara increased the speed of her thumb, alternating between quick, playful flicks across the sensitive flesh and gentle squeezes.

By the time Sara's hand made another journey south Catharine's hips were in constant movement trying to get some kind of friction to her clit and there was a constant stream of begging.

Catherine's entire body shuddered as Sara moved her finger lightly over the little bundle of nerves and pulling their lips apart Sara watched the expression on the woman's face as she gently pushed two fingers into her. A loud whimper was her response followed by a frustrated groan as she only inserted them to the first knuckle before pulling out.

"Please Sara, please…I can't…stop teasing…please." Catherine almost cried, after the third time. Catherine had tried to push herself onto the elusive fingers with no luck.

Sara pulled the fingers out and added another before plunging them fully into her new lover enjoying the sound that was somewhere between a scream and a whimper. She never would have guessed that Catherine would be such a vocal lover and, even though she had promised to make her scream, had hoped she could live up to her boast but now she was feeling confident.

Slowly pumping the fingers in and out Sara could already feel the slick walls around her fingers clenching trying to pull them in deeper and she knew Catherine was close. The red head was covered in a fine sheen of sweat and her body was flushed as it undulated frantically on her hand, it was breathtaking to Sara. She was watching Catherine's face with rapt attention, the other woman's eyes were screwed up tight and her mouth was open wide trying to get as much air in as possible to her overworked lungs.

Sara started pumping her fingers as fast and deep as possible and used her thumb to sweep over Catherine's clitoris. She wanted to see Catherine's face on the point of orgasm, she had to see what she looked like in that one moment of perfect pleasure so that she could burn it into her memory.

The reaction was almost instantaneous, Catherine's breath caught, hiccupping softly as she pushed backwards and forwards frantically, trying desperately to get that final bit of friction that would send her over the edge. It was a matter of seconds before her body went ridged, arching up of the bed and freezing as she screamed out Sara's name. A moment later the body crashed back to the bed muscles spasmed as Sara continued to move her fingers hard and fast into the still fluttering muscles of the other woman's core.

Sara watched, glued to the scene as Catharine's face screws up and her body lifted off the bed, in the next second a look of peace settled on her face as her entire body seemed to let go. The brunette couldn't put into words what she felt at that moment. All she knew was that she wanted Catherine to experience all the emotions she'd seen again and again, as many times as she could.

With this in mind she moved down the other woman's body. Catherine's body was still spasming slightly, the release lasting longer because of Sara's still pumping fingers. So when Sara leant down and licked Catherine's clit lightly the reaction was immediate.

"Sara…no, I can't." Catherine gasped, somewhat coherently as the entire top half of her body arched of the bed at the fire that shot through her nerves.

Sara didn't listen; she moved her free arm to lay it across Catherine's stomach to keep her lower body under control as she took the other woman's clit into her mouth. Despite her pleas Sara could tell that Catherine's body was quickly rising again and she wanted this climax to be better than the first and if Catherine's reaction was anything to go by it was going to be.

The blonde could do nothing but concentrate on breathing as her lower body moved with the rhythm Sara was setting, and her hands clenched and then released the sheets under her. She was slowly going insane with the pleasure that was running through her body, her nerves were on overload and she was shaking from head to toe, it was like she had no control of her body, her entire being was focus onto the teasing touches Sara's tongue was making with her tongue.

Sara was watching Catherine's reaction as she switched between sucking, drawing a figure eight and lapping the blonde's clit with her tongue. She was pleased to see that the sheets seemed to be suffering as Catherine clutch them and then released in time with the waves passing through her body. It could also be classed as a toe curling experience by the way Catherine's toes were curled as her heals dug into the mattress.

Seeing all the other woman's muscles pull tight and hold, Sara did her best to send Catherine over the edge for the second time. Ignoring the cramp that was starting to set into her hand, she kept up the pace of her pumping and grazed her teeth over the little bundle of nerves, knowing instantly that it'd had the desired effect when Catherine's body trembled and she called out for the second time.

Catherine was sure her brain was going to explode as she went over the edge into her second orgasm. Her protesting muscles spasmed as she rode the waves that were somewhere between pleasure and pain. Her body was just about to collapse into the post orgasm, numbness and exhaustion when every muscle went taunt. It took her brain a matter of seconds to penetrate the fog and register the fact that Sara was still sucking her clit and her fingers were still moving deep within her.

"Sara…" She gasped almost crying at the pleasure/pain. "Please…"

She reached out a heavy arm to push the brunette's mouth away but even she knew she didn't have the strength to move her. Catherine's world shattered when she felt the fingers curl within her to hit that special spot.

Sara barely heard the begging words as she curled her fingers inside Catherine searching for the spot she knew would break her. With one final gasp Catherine's body went bow tight before she collapsed boneless to the now soaked sheets, her exhausted muscles trembling faintly.

Moving her head to rest on Catherine's stomach, Sara registered the even breathing of the other woman and wondered whether she could claim she had fucked someone into unconsciousness or whether the blonde had just fallen into an exhausted sleep.

Reluctantly withdrawing her hand from the warm cavern Sara bestowed a light kiss on Catherine's stomach, smiling slightly when she felt the tired muscles still shiver at the touch and moved up the bed lying next to her new lover. Pulling the woman close to her she soon fell into a peaceful sleep.

"Mom, get up!"

Catherine groaned as the words penetrated her tired mind. Her entire body felt like it was filled with lead instead of bones and her throat felt sore, like she'd been screaming all night. She searched her mind, trying to remember the reason why she felt so tired, only to blush as she remembered the hours the night before that she had spent having sex with her colleague…her female colleague.

"C'mon mom, you have to be at work in an hour and a half." Lindsay said sternly, reaching for the covers to pull them off her mother, that usually did the trick.

Feeling the cold air rush over her shoulders - her naked shoulders Catherine grabbed for the covers, she didn't need her daughter to see her naked, that was a sure fire way for her daughter to work out what she had been up to the night before…if she hadn't heard one of her multiple screams.

"I'll get up." Catherine croaked, stretching her tired and protesting muscles. When her arms didn't hit another body Catherine frowned. She looked around but it failed to locate her brown haired co-worker or her clothes.

Doubts started to flood her mind as she worried on her lower lip. Well of course she wouldn't have stayed, Catherine had made it plain that it was a one-night stand, not many people stayed to snuggle after a one-night stand. Add to the fact that Catherine hadn't even stayed awake long enough to return the favour…probably meant that Catherine had repaid one of the best nights of her life with one of Sara's worst. Damn, but that woman knew how to touch someone in just the right way…and she knew how to kiss, oh did she know how to kiss.

"You aren't getting up." The pre teen whined pulling at the covers again but getting nowhere as Catherine had them in a death grip.

"I'm getting up, I'm getting up." Catherine protested sitting up.

"OK," Lindsay said seemingly happy about the movement. "I'll get you something to eat before Aunt Nancy comes to pick me up."

Muttering her thanks, Catherine watched her daughter head towards the door.

"Oh." She said, turning just before exiting. "Sara left about an hour ago saying she needed to go and change but she asked me to say. 'thanks, she really enjoyed it and she'll see you at work.'"

Catherine froze at the mention of her colleagues name but cheered up slightly at the message. Sara'd said she'd enjoyed it, maybe it hadn't been such a bust after all…then again maybe she was just trying to be nice, asking the daughter of the woman you'd just spent the night screwing to relay the message 'you were crap and I don't want to see you ever again.' was probably a bit extreme, even for Sara.

Lying back and burying her head in one of her pillows, she groaned when she got the distinct smell of Sara Sidle. Her blood boiled as her mind flashed up images of the passionate sex the night before. Sara had seemed like she was enjoying it at the time, of course it did get to certain point when Catherine had not registered anything but the feeling racing through her body…so for maybe, half of the night she couldn't really say whether Sara had enjoyed herself or not. Shaking herself from the depressing thought Catherine dragged herself from bed and headed for a shower.

Catherine walked towards the break room nervously. Butterflies were performing the Riverdance in her stomach and she was concentrating on breathing in and out so that she didn't hyperventilate. As she pushed the door open her eyes immediately landed on Sara, just as the other woman looked up.

There eyes met and the effect on Catherine was immediate, a flush rose on her skin as she remembered those eyes looking down at her intently as the hands had ran across her body seeking all the sensitive points. She knew her reaction must have been obvious by the cocky smile that graced Sara's mouth as the other woman's eyes travelled from her eyes to her mouth and back again.

Sara had looked up as she heard the door to the break room opening; she had spent the last half hour in the room, her heart going into palpitations every time she heard someone in the corridor.

She had left Catherine's house before the other woman had risen. She'd woken when she'd heard Lindsay moving around the house and had spent minutes just watching the other woman sleep. Catherine had made it obvious that it was only a one-night stand, which Sara was pretty sure meant she wasn't meant to be there in the morning. So, bestowing one last kiss on the lips she was sure would feature prominently in her dreams for months, the brunette dragged herself out of bed.

Meeting Lindsay in the living room, she had told the girl to let her mother sleep. Lindsay had been ecstatic to see her friend was still at the house but Sara had explained that she needed to go home and get showered and changed for work. Hugging Lindsay Sara made for the door, only to stop and give Lindsay a message to pass onto her mother when she woke.

She was pulled out of her musings by the click of the door opening again and looked up into the very face she'd been daydreaming about earlier. As their eyes met Sara grinned at seeing the pupils dilate, the sky blue turn shades darker and a flush rise on her cheeks. Neither had a chance to do or say anything as Grissom started to talk.

"Assignments." He started. "Warrick and Sara, you have a DB at Lions memorial park. Nick and Catherine B&E on Jefferson Ave."

Catherine didn't hear anymore as she stole quick glances at the other woman and tried not to remember the night before. Soon everyone was rising from their seats and heading towards the door, walking out with Nick she wasn't really concentration on what he was saying but managed to hear Sara tell Warrick she was nipping to the restroom.

"Look Nick, I've just remembered something, can I meet you at the scene?" Catherine asked hoping she didn't interrupt him midway through a sentence.

"Yeah, sure." He said not looking to put out.

Catherine watched them go before turning and heading in the direction of the restroom. Sara had obviously already made it there as the red head didn't see her on any of the corridors and when she pushed through the door a quick survey told her that there was only one other occupant of the restroom and they were in a closed cubicle.

Catherine leant up against the wall directly opposite the occupied stall and waited with her arms crossed. It wasn't long before the lock slid and the door was pulled open, seeing it was Sara, and the other woman was looking at her with a confused frown. Catherine pushed her back inside the stall and pushed her against the side, pinning her there with her body.

She only took a moment to look at the shocked expression gracing the woman's face before she brought their lips together in a kiss that expressed all her longing and need. Catherine was briefly distracted with locking the door but as soon as she was sure they wouldn't be distracted she set about undoing Sara's clothes with vigour. She was determined to make her feel the same pleasure she had experienced the day before and soon had her shirt open, with this she slipped her hand's inside her bra pinching the hard nipples between her fingers.

Hearing a groan from Sara sent Catherine's blood boiling and abandoning the breast Catherine brought her hands down quickly unbuttoning Sara's trousers and slipping her hands inside her underwear. There had barely been any foreplay so Catherine was surprised when she slipped her fingers inside Sara to find that there was an abundance of wetness to lubricate the intrusion.

Sara pulled her head away from Catherine's, gulping in lungful of air, her eyes were screwed shut as her body pumped back and forwards in time with Catherine's hand. Taking it in her stride Catherine attached her lips to Sara's neck, sucking and kissing any skin she found.

Sara was gasping by the time Catherine brushed her thumb across the brunette's clit and she knew it wouldn't take much more for Sara to peak. Knowing time was of the essence as it was likely someone would either want to use the restroom or come looking for them Catherine doubled her efforts, going as deeply and quickly as she could while teasing the bundle of nerves.

It was only moments before Catherine felt Sara go tense and then shudder to climax. Catherine possessed the other woman's lips just in time to stop the loud moan that escaped. Then Sara sagged, only held up because she was pinned between the stall wall and Catherine's body, they were both breathing heavily.

Waiting until Sara had her strength back and was supporting herself, Catherine stepped back and watched for a moment as Sara straightened her clothes. She had to step back quickly as Sara reached for her, a devilish smirk on her face.

"Warrick and Nick will wonder where we are! And you know someone will come in here soon." Catherine argued. "Meet me for breakfast, I think we need to talk."

Sara didn't look pleased at the prospect but agreed. Smiling Catherine laid one last breathtaking kiss on Sara's lips before she exited the stall and Sara heard the door close behind her.

Sighing heavily Sara laid her forehead on the wall across from her, she had never expected that. She had thought the night before was the beginning and end of her time with Catherine, now it seemed that might not be the case. She would have to see what Catherine wanted to talk to her about at breakfast but it looked like her day might not turn out so bad after all.

By the time Sara pushed her way through the door to the small diner Catherine had left her directions to she was 20 minutes late. She spotted Catherine easily as most of the tables were unoccupied and as she slouched down into the seat across from the red head she saw her look up from the paper she was reading.

"You eventually made it?" Catherine asked accessing the younger woman.

"Yeah, sorry. I've been trying to get away for an hour but it seemed like each time I was ready to leave I'd spot something else."

"It's OK. I had Nick text me when you arrived back from the crime scene and if you weren't here twenty minutes after that then I was going to assume you weren't coming and leave…you still had ten minutes left."

Sara smiled at that, but the arrival of the waitress stopped any reply. Sara gave her order and waited for the waitress to leave before turning to Catherine, a serious look on her face.

"So what did you want to talk about?" She asked.

"I've been thinking about last night…a lot and…what I'm trying to say is, Sara I like you and I think we are good together. But I said I didn't want a relationship and I still don't. What I want to know is; what are you looking for?"

"I don't know." Sara said frowning at the coffee the waitress had placed in front of her. "What are you offering?"

"No strings attached fun. Friends with benefits, if and when you need it." Catherine said shrugging.

Sara had looked up when Catherine had tabled her offer but had now gone back to looking at her coffee she stirred it intently for a couple minutes, making Catherine worry about her response.

"So you are offering sex with you whenever I want it? While still getting to hang with Lindsay and you? Where's the catch? What do you get from this?"

"I get sex with you whenever I want it, that is if I live through another encounter." Catherine said grinning when Sara blushed. "And the best person I can think of as my daughters mentor, she doesn't stop talking about you."

Sara looked at the coffee again for a moment before looking up, she met Catherine's eyes, nodding deliberately before breaking out into a gap-toothed smile. Feeling like a teenager who had just had a date offer accepted from her crush. Catherine smiled back.

The Monday after 'the talk' Sara sat in Catherine's front room waiting for the blonde. She couldn't help thinking how much that day had changed her life. At first Sara hadn't known what she was accepting, or how one of them would initiate an encounter. It had been made clear at the end of one shift when Catherine had approached her and asked Sara to go home with her. She had readily accepted and had only spent one night in her apartment since, and that was five days ago. It seemed that both mother and daughter liked having her around.

Yesterday had been a breakthrough, at least in Sara's eyes. Catherine had again asked her to spend the night (or day depending how you looked at it), Lindsay had been excited as the next day would be the end of the science project: the go-kart testing. She had repeatedly told Sara that she had to come as they were a team. That night Sara had put Lindsay to bed for the first time, reading Harry Potter to the girl until she was asleep then tucking her in.

When she turned around to leave she saw Catherine standing by the door watching her with a soft expression. As soon as the door to Lindsay's room had closed she was kissed senseless, but it wasn't raw passion as their previous sexual encounters had been. It was soft and dare she say…loving. The sex that followed had been sweet and tender, taking their time and exploring each other's body instead of the frantic release they usually sought.

Before Sara could ponder the situation anymore Catharine entered the room, she saw Sara sat on the couch and a beautiful smile blossomed on her lips.

"Hey." Catherine said sitting next to Sara and kissing her lightly.

"Hey, are you ready yet? If we don't set off soon we're going to be late and Lindsay will never forgive us if we miss her big day." Sara said.

"Yeah, I'm ready, but I have something for you first." Catherine teased knowing Sara liked presents, she was like a kid at Christmas even with the smallest of things. The blonde briefly wondered if it was some childhood event that prompted the younger woman's happiness at someone giving her something, but she didn't have time to find out at the moment, promising to ask her later Catherine focused on Sara's response.

"Oh yeah? What would that be?"

Sara grinned when she saw Catherine hold up a t-shirt with a 'Team Willow's' transfer on the front.

"Wanna be in my team?" Catherine asked smiling.

"I thought I was." Sara said pouting.

"Well, you were a honorary member, getting a t-shirt makes you an official member."

"Well then, I'd be honoured to get a t-shirt." Sara said taking the t-shirt.

Sara immediately stripped off the t-shirt she was wearing and pulled on the new one. It was only when she finished pulling her hair out from the back of the t-shirt that she noticed Catherine raking her eyes over her body.

"Hold that thought, we really have to go." Sara said leaning over to peck Catherine on the lips before jumping up and pulling Catherine with her so they could head to the school.

Luckily the Go-Kart had been delivered the Friday before so that it could be looked over and Lindsay had also had to hand in an essay on how the Go-Kart had been built. Sara had insisted on driving her car to the school and Catherine saw why when they arrived.

Lindsay was hyperactive, as she had been when she had first set off the school that morning, as soon as she saw them she ran over, wearing her own 'Team Willows' t-shirt. She took the hands of both women and led them over to the playing field which would be the testing ground for the go-karts.

Lindsay informed them that she had been picked third, which meant she would be in the third lane and third to take part in the obstacle course. Catherine had to tell her to breath as she started to fill them in on Kelly's go-kart and her place (sixth lane).

Noticing the go-karts lined up at one side of the school field Sara leaned over to Catherine.

"Can I go and look at the competition?" She whispered in her lovers' ear.

"I guess it's what a good team would do." Catherine replied, telling Lindsay to lead the way.

As Sara looked over every inch of the opposition's karts, explaining some points and any good or shoddy workmanship, Catherine looked on. She had to say that she was impressed with the standard of the go-karts but the one built by Sara and Lindsay looked to be the best, and she wasn't saying it because she was biased.

Sara eventually stood up, grinning she put her arm around Lindsay's shoulders.

"We are gonna kick some serious butt here. Our go-kart rocks and none of these come close." She said confidently.

"That's what I thought when I saw them." Lindsay said confidently.

"I have something for you." Sara said, leading Lindsay to the car and looking slightly nervous when Catherine followed. "Erm…well I thought you might need it, you know, safety and all that."

With that she pulled out a helmet and gave it to Lindsay. Catherine frowned at Sara's embarrassment and Lindsay's obvious glee at the present. The helmet didn't seem anything special to Catherine, it looked pretty old if the fading picture of Marvin the Martian and the long scratch down the right of the helmet was any indication.

"But…" Lindsay seemed breathless at the thought of having the helmet. "But, this is your special helmet, you said…you said this was your lucky helmet and it had saved your life so you'd keep it forever."

"Yeah, it was my lucky helmet, now it's yours. Someday you may need it to save your life and right at this minute you need a helmet because it isn't safe to drive that go-kart without one." Sara argued shrugging; she had noticed Catherine raising her eyebrows from where she stood behind Lindsay.

"This is so cool. Now I won't have to wear any of those crappy school helmets like everyone else." The young girl squealed hugging Sara tightly before putting the helmet on and running of to show her friends.

"Language Lindsay." Catherine shouted after her daughter but it was ignored as she was too busy grinning widely as she showed her friends the helmet and they all told her how cool it was.

"Why did you just give my daughter your special helmet?" Catherine asked looking at Sara tenderly.

"It was the first helmet I was given when I started to take an interest in motors, it saved my life a number of times, and I always called it my lucky helmet. I don't use it anymore, it was just in my closet. I thought it was time to pass it on and carry on a tradition." Sara shrugged.

"So, who started off this tradition? By the way you were speaking it sounds like someone you cared about." Catherine asked gently, hoping that she wasn't pressing to far.

"It was Chris…my first love, and first lover…first in everything really." Sara said fidgeting, she didn't like speaking about herself.

"Chris? But I thought you were gay."

"I am, Chris is short for Christa." Sara explained, she sighed when she saw Catherine open her mouth to ask another question. She knew how Catherine worked; this line of questioning wouldn't stop now until the blonde had the entire story.

She was saved by the man Lindsay had pointed out as the science teacher climbing onto a box and announcing that the races were about to start through a megaphone.

"We'd better go and find Lindsay, make sure everything's OK." Sara said walking away quickly.

"This isn't over Sidle. You'll tell me the story later." Catherine said.

The sad thing was that Sara knew she was right, Catherine was much more stubborn than she was and she knew that when asked later she'd spill everything because she couldn't deny the red head anything.

Lindsay, of course, had smashed the opposition, coming in an easy first in the race. Kelly had come in second and had been at least a meter behind her. She also beat everyone in the obstacle course, being 15 seconds in front of the second place kart.

Sara watched with a huge grin as Lindsay stood on the winner podium receiving a small cup for winning the project.

Catherine looked between Sara and her daughter with a fond smile on her face. Lindsay loved Sara and she was pretty sure her daughter had managed to crack the hard outer shell around the brunette's heart and sneak her way in.

The blonde watched as Lindsay jumped off the podium and sprinted over, throwing herself at Sara. The brunette was ready to catch her and they shared a victory hug.

"We did it! Did you see the look on Kelly's face? She didn't like coming second." Lindsay said gleefully.

"Yeah, I saw it and I saw your brilliant driving. Have you ever considered a career in rally driving?" Sara teased.

"Don't go putting ideas into her head, I'd prefer her getting a nice safe job." Catherine entered the conversation while caressing her daughters' hair.

There were interrupted by Lindsay's science teacher who approached them smiling at the scene.

"Ms Willow's, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"Mr Anderson, nice to see you as well." Catherine said politely.

"I'd just like to say how impressed I am with the effort Lindsay has been putting into her classes lately, not just the science project, but her entire interest in science has greatly improved and her grade is reflecting that. In fact, Lindsay, I came over to tell you that your grade for this project is a, I was stunned by the quality of your go kart." Mr Anderson said to a beaming Lindsay.

"Well, may I introduce you to the reason for Lindsay's improvement and her mentor on go kart. Mr Anderson this is my work colleague Sara Sidle."

"Ah, _the _Sara." He said pronouncing 'the' in a way to make Sara think it had more meaning, while they shook hands.

"Erm…I guess so." Sara replied frowning.

"I've heard a lot about you from Lindsay, she says you have a fascinating take on Spontaneous human combustion, the story she tells involves a pig?"

Sara's eyes went wide at the teachers' words and she looked between Catherine and Lindsay. She looked back to Mr Anderson who was smiling at her.

"I-It was an experiment I ran for work." She stammered.

"I've always been interested in Spontaneous combustion, when I mentioned it in class I didn't expect any of my students to know what I was talking about, Lindsay was able to argue the point with me. You'll have to tell me about your experiment sometime, but right now I have to go and be nice to the principle."

Catherine leant over and kissed Lindsay on the cheek, congratulating her on her grade. The small blonde was too busy looking at Sara strangely to protest to being kissed by her mother in front of her friends.

"What?" The brunette eventually asked.

"I think my science teacher was hitting on you." She said screwing up her face to show both adults what she thought of it.

"I don't think he was." Sara argued.

"Yes he was," Lindsay said back, looking at her mother for support.

"I'll have to take my daughters side on this one, although Lindsay maybe if you hadn't mentioned Sara so much in your lessons he wouldn't be so interested in her."

"I didn't mention her that much, just a couple of times when he said something that I didn't agree with."

"You've been using the stuff I've been teaching you to correct your science teacher?" Sara groaned.

"Well, yeah…But you said that scientific theory's are always open for interpretation and, that a lot of the top minds in science have different opinions. You said people trying to prove their theories are where a lot of important discovers have been made."

Catherine's eyebrows shot up as she looked to the brunette to see what she was going to say to counter that.

"Yeah, but he's your teacher Lindsay. You shouldn't be arguing with him, especially not in front of the class, listen to his point of view and if you disagree with him mention it at the end of the class. It could appear that you are questioning his teaching and his authority with the rest of the students."

"Mr Anderson said he liked me questioning him as it showed I was listening to him and had my own opinions, I think that's why he wanted to meet you so much."

"OK, but just make sure you don't question him too much in front of the other students." Sara said, knowing now how good Lindsay was at verbalising her side of an argument, she was her mothers' daughter.

Sara found herself sitting on the couch again waiting for Catherine. This time however she had her head leant back and her eyes closed. They had arrived home about an hour earlier and it hadn't taken long for the vigour's of the day to catch up with Lindsay. She had started to fall asleep leaning against Sara where they both sat on the couch.

"Bedtime young lady." Catherine had said moving over to Lindsay.

"Aw, mom." Lindsay had started only to have the 'mom voice' used on her.

"No Lindsay, you're falling to sleep and I'm sure Sara has better things to do than being your pillow." Catherine had said.

"She never complains when you use her as a pillow." Lindsay replied causing Sara to blush.

"Bed." Catherine pointed up the stairs.

"Fine." Lindsay sulked. She turned to Sara giving her a hug. "Sara, you're still going to come around aren't you? You're not going to stop spending time with me and mom, now that the science project is over, are you?" The girl asked her voice betraying how unsure she was.

"No way," Sara said immediately. "I'll be over loads, you'll be sick of the sight of me I'll be calling around so much."

"I doubt that…it'll be great, we can do loads together." Lindsay said grinning.

"Of course we can, you get thinking of what you'd like to do and your mom and I will see what we can do."

"Cool!" Lindsay shouted before heading up the stairs to bed.

TBC

I've had this series written and sitting on my hard drive for ages so it shouldn't be too long for an update. I just need to read through them. I hop to have the next one posted Monday as I'm going away for the weekend.


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